In the Field of genetics and the developmental biology, the somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a laboratory technique for creating the Clonal embryo, using an ovum with the donor nucleus. It can be used in the embryonic cell research or in regenerative medicine where it is sometimes referred to as “therapeutic cloning”. It can also be used as the first step for the reproductive cloning.
In SCNT the nucleus, which contain the organism’s DNA, of a somatic cell is removed and the rest of the cell discarded. At the same time, the nucleus of an egg cell is detached. The nucleus of the somatic cell is then inserted into the enucleated egg cell. After being inserted into the egg, the somatic cell nucleus is reprogrammed by the host cell. The egg, now containing the nucleus of a somatic cell, is stimulated with a shock and will begin to divide. After many mitotic divisions in culture, this single cell forms a blastocyst (an early stage embryo with about 100 cells) with almost identical DNA to the original organism.
I would like to present some of the fields where the concept of SCNT can be used. I am listing two of them. They are as follows:
- SCNT in stem cell research
- SCNT in reproductive cloning
I would like to discuss the first one in detail. The detail is as follows:
SCNT in stem cell research
Only a handful of the labs in the world are currently using SCNT techniques in human stem cell research. In the United States, scientists at the Harvard University Stem Cell Institute, the University of California San Francisco, Stemagen (La Jolla, CA) and possibly Advanced Cell Technology are currently researching a technique to use somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce embryonic stem cells. In the United Kingdom, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority has granted permission to
research groups at the Roslin Institute and the Newcastle Centre for Life. SCNT may also be occurring in China.
In 2005, a South Korean research team led by Professor Hwang Woo-suk, published claims to have derived stem cell lines via SCNT, but supported those claims with fabricated data. Recent evidence has proved that he in fact created a stem cell line from a parthenote.
I must say that this is really a great step which is definitely going to take us to the new era where the medicines will have completely new meaning. Who had
though 20 years before that we will be able to grow the cells on our own? However this is a truth now. We can really do it.
I would also like to say that the SCNT has really been a find and it has really created a mile stone in the field of stem cell research.